Last year, I conducted an experiment concerning the possibility of a totem induced lucid dream. I never got very far with it because my academics at the time kept getting in the way. But my idea of the TILD is not the inception version. Here's what you do:

Find a relatively small item that can easily fit in your pocket. It can be anything, it doesn't have to be unique in any way. Keep this item in your pocket, or on your person every single day. At night, lay it on your nightstand. When you wake up, take in to the shower with you and place it next to your towel. Now, every time you think about your totem, or lucid dreaming, or reality, take your totem out of your pocket and closely examine it. Become familiar with how your totem looks, and (more importantly) how it feels to touch. The idea is that the totem will carry over into the dream world. It will take a while for it to start appearing in your dreams, you just have to get used to it. So, whenever you analyze your totem, make sure EVERY SINGLE DETAIL is exactly how you remember it. Ask yourself, "Is the color the same?" "Is it the right size?" "Is it the right weight?" "Is it the right texture?" Questions like this.

Not only this, but when you are awake and you put your hands in your pockets and you accidentally feel your totem, it will be a reminder to you to do a reality check.

Really, the totem is just an elaborate and more consistent form of reality check. The hard part is getting the totem to carry over into the dream world for the first time.

My totem was a tiny chess piece, for example. Nothing special or unique.